It was with a complete lack of surprise that Alysanne, focused as she was on Mauja’s injuries, recognized her daughter. Apparently ‘I’m going herb collecting with Evangeline, I’ll be back soon’ meant ‘go ahead, sneak out and follow us discretely’. Had it been just a normal gathering trip she wouldn’t have minded, not much anyway, but there was nothing normal about the scene that the young pegasus girl stumbled into. There was certainly no time for thoughts about reprimanding the girl. How could she, when she could plainly see the tear that was rolling down her daughter’s face? As much as she resented the bond that had formed between Mauja and her daughter (purely due to jealousy, mind) she would forever wilt at any sign of distress from the girl. “Naerys…” Before she could tell her daughter to leave (a pointless exercise, she was sure) Evangeline stepped in and told her daughter to talk to Mauja, to get him to focus on her voice. Distracted, Alysanne just nodded her agreement to this plan - encouraging her to go to his head.

It was a good thing there were two other healers present for her own magic ceased for a moment out of surprise when she heard her daughter’s question to Tembovu. Venomous green eyes look to him, catch him backing away and the faint whisper of an apology to… what was that, Mauja’s owl? Was that apology an admission? Anger as hot as the magma that turned the skin before her into crisp charcoal flashed  in the Moon Doctor. She was quick to check it as soon as she noticed it had interrupted the healing shadows, letting it simmer beneath the surface. There would be time to deal with their king afterwards. The gentle weeping of Mauja brought her attention back to where it was needed and she dug deeper into that gift the Moon Goddess allowed her Doctors and she wished he would fall asleep, wished she had the power to do that to spare him as much of the pain as she could while they mended his body.

As he started to drift, Alysanne panicked - thinking at first it was to death and not into sleep - but it seemed like his breathing was coming easier now. She did not notice Tandavi leaving, though she would regret that she had not said goodby later. She lowered her head closer to Mauja’s side, checking his breathing in the shadows as bodies blocked the light of the flames behind them. “Don’t you dare die. Not in front of her.” She whispered low to the stallion, thinking it unlikely that he could even hear her but feeling the need to say the words - the half-hearted threat - anyway.

Not that he would be able to help it.

That was their job.

She could feel her energy draining as she put it all into the healing shadows, her legs shaking so she lowered herself to the ground to keep herself from falling. That he was drifting into sleep was a good sign but she did not think it time to let up. She was determined to bring the burns back to the surface, to knit the damaged skin into something pink and fresh, and above all to keep her daughter’s friend from dying on this night.

Alysanne and Hemlock